It looks like Pelosi’s bottom line is that nothing can be done to interfere with her plans to run the House elections on ‘Medicare, Medicare, Medicare.’ Two trillion in discretionary cuts? She can live with it. But touch entitlements and she walks.
I guess that’s smart politically, but depending on details, I don’t know that it’s the right line in the sand. Where are all these cuts in discretionary spending going to come from? The answer to that matters a lot. She’s really in the driver’s seat. Boehner needs her votes.
But, I can’t even speculate at this point. No one seems to know what is going on.
I’m not even sure that Pelosi’s votes will be needed, though she certainly gives cover to the Senate Dems.
Boehner can’t deliver more than 150 of his own caucus. She’s absolutely necessary.
At this point, I’m in favor of giving them anything they want. Just don’t let them shoot the baby.
I think she’s proving a point, which is that there’s simply no deal which the Republicans can make which meets their goals.
Wasn’t the basic underlying premise of Obama’s whole medical insurance reform, or attempt at same, that we have to cut spending for Medicare and medical insurance? That it was a looming danger not so far down the road to our whole economy? And that there was indeed a lot of waste and unnecessary spending So even though the idea of cutting entitlement spending sounds bad, and even though the Republicans would tend to want to cut all the wrong things, in principle when ou get into the details could there not be some legitimate horse trading? It’s well known that we have the world’s most expensive health-care system, and it still doesn’t work all that well. Discuss.
That’s a good argument. However, the R’s don’t want genuine reform that would cut revenue to drug companies or HMO’s. They want that crappy voucher plan or increased co-pays.
You can’t negotiate with a man who has a gun to your head. They should not be playing Boehner’s game. Obama should stand up to him like Clinton stood up to Gingrich.
First a clean debt limit bill, then we talk about reforms.
Shoot Medicare part D, for starters.
Forbid doctors from refusing to treat Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Then allow the “doc fix” to take effect. The Congress has been kicking that can down the road a while.
Allow Medicare to negotiate Part D pricing.
Allow reimportation of US-made pharmaceuticals.
Move Medicare Part D administration from private insurers and drugstore companies to federal administration by HHS.
But these are precisely the horses that couldn’t be traded in the ACA legislative process.
There is no deal. Grover Norquist runs this country.
what have I been saying for a month? there was no way Boehner could sell anything to his caucus and the president has known that for a very long time.
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"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."PBO at presser kicking GOP ass!
He was bleating about being “left at the altar”. He whined about Boehner not “returning my calls”. Barack Obama is the personification of weakness and that’s why the Republicans feel free to walk all over him.
According to the NYT, Boehner has walked out on the talks. Its Friday, so it must be Miller Time.
Here’s report about the morning GOP caucus meeting from TPM. It might explain why Obama has finally had enough of Boehner and Cantor:
They don’t want a deal. Period. So watch for the market response on Monday. We will either get “Ho hum, it’s just politics” or “How about a little scare, you stupid idiots?” Whichever, the GOP response will tell you whether a deal is possible even on a debt ceiling extension into 2013.
My bet is they want the issue and are willing to push past August 2 to drop it in Obama’s lap. Just like they are loving the FAA partial shutdown. I’m waiting to see if the public is beginning to get it. Even in red states. Even with the Hannity and the Florida Manatee going full bore anti-Obama. It is going to take one hell of a lot of propaganda and obfuscation to get around this one for the GOP.
I called Schakowski’s office a couple hours ago. They said there’s really no solid plan or agreement anybody knows about, including the congresswoman. They said the rumors are just talk, as far as they know, and I tend to believe them. The guy I talked with seems confident that Schakowski and the progressives will hold firm against any deal that impacts Medicare, Medicaid, or SS end-user, or doesn’t include raising revenues.
good to know the old people, retarded people, mothers who depend on WIC are just “political” considerations to you.
doesn’t matter if they die, starve, or live in humiliating and debased circumstances. It’s just political, just a way to win an election.
Good to know dude. Good to know that’s how you see it.
I don’t even know what that means.
When I say something might be smart politically, but…
the stuff after the ‘but’ is my point.
I think the heat is starting to affect people.